Marcia is a CMMB employee

My mom’s name:

Beatriz Ortega

I am Celebrating My Mother Because:

her endless and unconditional love, through the first 23 years of my life, is what allows me to this day to have hope in humanity, even in difficult times; to see everything through a positive lens and believe that the seed of compassion and kindness is in all of us and we can inspire others with our own generosity and example, to make this a better world.

I celebrate my mother every day because it is her example that gives me strength, and because I owe her to try to be the best I can be and to represent her beautiful soul in each of my actions, as I am her embodied memory and the continuation of all her dreams.

Marcia shares a smile with her mom

How my mother has inspired me: 

My mum didn’t share much about her past, and I am thankful to my dad for carrying her story and honoring her life with me and in every opportunity.

She was the most selfless and generous person I have ever met. She grew up in a very humble family and left the province where she grew up, and her family, to receive a better education and more opportunities in Buenos Aires city. This decision wasn’t well received by the rest of the family at the time – as a more conservative path was expected for young women then –  but she persevered regardless of how difficult and painful it was to do it on her own.

A close up photo of Marcia and her mom. IamCMMB

She worked very hard her whole life. I didn’t get to see much of her during the week because she worked long hours to be able to pay for a better school for me than the one she attended and to secure a future for me, her only child. She generously supported everyone in my family when they faced financial issues and invited the whole family to our home on the weekends, uniting us all and bringing the best out of everyone.

When diagnosed with cancer, she didn’t want to tell me. She wanted to prevent me from any distress and from being distracted from my studies and enjoying my young life; in ways she hadn’t had the opportunity to. Her last months were very painful and everyone who loved and admired her felt it as the most unfair departure to such a beautiful soul.

I feel blessed to be so similar to her, to remind everyone in my family about and for them to be proud of my journey. We all know that I only get to live this fortunate life thanks to her hard work and vision. I hope every day to make her proud and make her feel that her efforts were worth it; that I am continuing her dream.